Mattock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Welsh surname Mattock is derived from the early Welsh personal name Madoc. This was also written as Madawc and Madog, from the Old Welsh name Matoc, which had the literal meaning of goodly. 1
Early Origins of the Mattock family
The surname Mattock was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the singular name Madoch is recorded in Gloucestershire. 2
"Madoc an ancient Welsh personal name. One Madoch was a tenant in chief in Herefordshire at the making of Domesday. He was doubtless a Welshman by birth." 3
Dusting off more old references, we found Oenus filius Madoc in the Pipe Rolls for Salop (Shropshire) in 1160; Maddock le Waleys in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1283; and William Madoc in the Hundredorum Rolls for Shropshire in 1274. In Cheshire, Robert Mattok was listed there in the Assize Rolls for 1290 and Robert Madduk and Stephen Madek was found in Colchester in 1297. 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Madoc de Sotton; Tudor ab Madoc; and Maddoc le Estrange. All were from Shropshire. 5
"Maddock and Maddocks, forms of the ancient Welsh personal name of Madoc, have characterised Wales and the English border shires for ages. Madoch was the name of a Herefordshire tenant in Domesday times, whilst Maddox is still an old Hereford name. In the reign of Edward. I. there were persons of the name of Madoc in Shropshire (H. R.), in which county the names of Maddock and Maddocks still occur. Maddock is now a frequent name in Chester and its neighbourhood, and John Maddock was mayor of Chester in 1676 (Ormerod). Maddocks was the name of a very ancient family of Llanfrynach, Brecknockshire (Jones' "Brecknockshire")." 6
Early History of the Mattock family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mattock research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1571, 1598, 1612, 1697, 1736 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Mattock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mattock Spelling Variations
The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Mattock have included Maddox, Maddix, Maddick, Mattick, Matticks, Mattix, Maddock, Maddockes, Maddocks, Madocks, Madox, Madoch, Mattock and many more.
Early Notables of the Mattock family
Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was
- John Mattock (c.1571-1612), English prelate, Archdeacon of Lewes from 1598 until 1612
Migration of the Mattock family to Ireland
Some of the Mattock family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mattock migration to the United States +
During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Mattock:
Mattock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- James Mattock, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1630
- John Mattock, who landed in Maryland in 1663 7
- Jonas Mattock, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 7
Mattock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Mattock, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
- Isobel Mattock, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1775 7
Mattock migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Mattock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Mattock migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Mattock Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Joseph Mattock, aged 22, a joiner, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jubilee" in 1873
- Eliza Mattock, aged 26, a housekeeper, who arrived in Taranaki aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
Contemporary Notables of the name Mattock (post 1700) +
- Robert K. Mattock, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1860 9
- Clifford J. Mattock, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartland, 1930 9
- Jonny Mattock, English drummer and percussionist from Northampton
- Joseph William "Joe" Mattock (b. 1990), English footballer
Citations +
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html